Tortured Scream
by WingedPanther73
Summary: This is an idea I had for what would make Schreient special, while being  reasonably  consistent with canon.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Tortured Scream

Author: WingedPanther73

Pairing(s)/Characters: Schreient

Rating: PG

Summary: This is an idea I had for what would make Schreient special, while being (reasonably) consistent with canon

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz, its names and characters belong to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiss, Marine Entertainment and Animate Film.

Beta Reader: Sybil Rowan

Chapter 1

The host twitched in response to commands sent through the corrupted nervous system. Breaks were repaired as errors were located. Test signals resulted in the host spasming and launching itself off its table. The damage the host sustained was minor, compared to the bullet wounds that would have to be addressed. Soon, the neurological repairs were complete, and the host stopped thrashing violently.

The hive opened the host's eyes, taking in the environment. Another entity was present in the room. The hive was programmed to obey it. So be it. "What are we to be called?"

"I will call you Neu. Refer to yourself in the singular from now on."

"Understood. Thank you for this host, Master."

"Call me 'Father' from now on."

"Understood, Father. Healing of the host is complete. What should I do?"

"Get dressed, and eat. We will discuss your future shortly."

* * *

><p>"Mr. Masafumi, adopting a child who has been a victim of sexual abuse can be very difficult. This girl will have a lot of trust issues."<p>

"I understand that. I hope to give her a loving environment where she can forget the horrors of her past and instead live life with a purpose."

"That's very admirable, Sir, but have you considered the challenges you will face without a wife to help you?"

"I assure you, Ma'am, that will not be an issue. I have other daughters who will happily assist me, as needed."

"Very well. Your adoption of Nanami has been approved, though I think you're making a grave mistake."

"Thank you. Come along, Nanami. Let's see if we can't kill those bad memories."

* * *

><p>"Doctor Takatori, Miss Karen cannot be helped. The acid burns are much too deep for any plastic surgeon's skill."<p>

"Nonsense, Doctor Schmidt, I have some new techniques that are still highly experimental, but should be more than adequate to restore her to her former beauty."

"I haven't heard about this research, Sir."

"That's hardly surprising. There are no publishable results, at this time. I can assure you, however, that Miss Karen will be ready to start modeling in no time. Besides, keeping her sedated in a psych ward is no kindness to her."

"If you can alleviate the cause of her depression, it would be a great thing for her. We'll release her to you immediately."

"I'll restore her beauty to her. I assure you."

* * *

><p>Chizuru sat in the chair, wondering about the advisability of playing guinea pig. As the only normal person Masafumi had acquired, she was more colleague than test subject, yet she found her skin itching uncontrollably as the retrovirus spread through her system.<p>

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to resist scratching everywhere?"

"No, but I wouldn't advise it. Your new nails are likely to damage that lovely skin of yours before the effects are fully implemented."

"I know that. Growing scales is still an itchy business, however."

"I'm sure it is. How is Nanami's restructuring going?"

"Her brain has been thoroughly dispersed, as has her heart. She seems to be extremely disoriented right now."

"To be expected. The advanced regenerative abilities are taking effect on Karen, but we need to add a regrowth factor to finish pushing out the scar tissue. I'm thinking a mixture of skink and starfish should prove most effective. The starfish should also enhance her strength quite a bit."

"I was thinking that as well, but the skink-starfish combination on a monkey proved problematic. Starfish alone is working much better, and there's a nice coral element that can be combined to facilitate bone regrowth."

"Excellent, Chizuru! We'll implement that once your itching has passed."

She glanced down at her skin. The chameleon-komodo blend was doing a good job. She had to shift the spectrum her eyes were tuned to a few times to catch the presence of the newly forming scales. Her nails seemed to be toughening as well.

"Fair warning, love, I think the komodo elements are affecting my salivary glands. We'll have to do some tests before we retire."

"That was anticipated, my dear. I gave myself immunity as a precaution. I intend to kiss you goodnight every night."

"I love you, too."

* * *

><p>"This host has many memory fragments, Father."<p>

Masafumi sipped his tea as he gazed at the resurrected body. The plasmid hive was doing a poor job of distinguishing between itself and the host it was inhabiting. It was unfortunate, but they _were_ aware of themselves being within the corpse he'd acquired for it. "Use them. Learn from them. They will help you adapt to human society."

"What does, 'I love you, Youji', mean?"

"Do you have memories of emotions?"

"Yes, Father. They don't make sense, though. What is their purpose?"

"They are what makes humans, human. You will need to be able to fake them, when necessary, to blend in."

Neu merely nodded, and sipped her tea. It would take a while for the hive to accept human society.

* * *

><p>The girl twirled her parasol, staring at the patterns of light and dark it formed on the edges.<p>

"Are you doing well, Tot?"

"Yes, Daddy! Tot loves her parasol!"

Her reflexes were amazing. Distributing her brain throughout her body had created a being with unparalleled reaction time. The fact that her heart and lungs had also been distributed resulted in spot oxygenation at the precise place where her body needed the most energy. Unfortunately, she was also a bit... distractable. Her thinking was optimized for combat, not cognition.

"Tot, do you remember what happened before you came here?"

"Tot remembers waking up this morning, Daddy." Her innocent smile was brilliant.

"I mean before you came to live with me."

"Tot was called Nanami, and something bad happened. Tot can't remember what." There was a frown of concentration, as she attempted to reassemble the scattered bits of memory.

Masafumi knew he would have to figure out how to fix the glitch with referring to herself in the third person. He suspected she thought of herself as Nanami, and had to call herself by "Tot" to remember it.

He gave her a quick hug and let her play with her parasol.

* * *

><p>The patient was breathing steadily, her face wrapped in bandages.<p>

"It's time to remove the bandages, my dear."

There was panic in her eyes. "You can't! I can't see my face again! I won't!"

"Karen, I've strapped you down because you needed to be still for your treatment, but it's time to heal your mind, not just your body." Masafumi could see the terror in her eyes, as he brought the scissors to her face, and began snipping bandages.

Karen hyperventilated, terror in her as she stared in dread at the mirror above her. When the bandages where peeled away, her face softened, and a single word was barely audible. "Schön!"

"So shall you be known, from now on, my beautiful one."

* * *

><p>Masafumi and Chizuru panted, their love-making complete. He wasn't sure, but it almost seemed that she was becoming wilder, more animalistic, in bed. It was a wonderful side-effect.<p>

He gently kissed her forehead, as they collapsed into exhausted sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Crawford stood behind Mr. Takatori, his team in nearby offices. It was important that everyone have direct contact with Masafumi's latest creations today. The future was going to be a lot more interesting, starting today. Schreient would be a key tool in annoying Weiss.

"Crawford, my son has never accomplished anything of note. I have no idea why you feel compelled to hover over me today."

"Understood, Sir, but I have a hunch it's important that I be here." Downplaying the true nature of his power had always been important when dealing with Reiji. He tended to be easier to manage that way.

"I don't know why I indulge him. Hirofumi has proven far more useful in helping me acquire power. Some sons know how to respect their elders."

"No doubt, Masafumi will not plague you much longer, Sir. I'm sure you will be relieved when that day comes."

"Indeed. I await the day that buffoon is out of my hair. At least he's more useful than that idiot Mamuro ever was."

Reiji's secretary interrupted his self-aggrandizement to announce the arrival of his son and "guests". There was an odd note to "guests" that got Reiji's attention.

"Send them in."

Soon, Masafumi entered, with an entourage of three beautiful women, and a girl. Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Collecting a harem, son? I would have thought you had better things to do with your time than create sex toys for yourself."

The girl looked confused. The prettiest of the women appeared positively livid. The one with mirror shades showed no reaction at all. The second prettiest lightly touched Masafumi's hand and smiled knowingly. The girl voiced the question on her mind, "Daddy, what does the man mean?"

"Hush, Tot, my father just wants to rile you. Don't worry about it."

"You know, I'm sure Hirofumi could make good use of her."

"Let my brother find his own entertainment. I wanted to let you know this team, Schreient, is potentially available to help you out. I know Crawford's team can be useful, but these women have true skills, not tricks."

Crawford felt a whisper of irritation caress his mind. Schuldig could be vain, and didn't appreciate the slight. _Ignore the taunts and gather intel._

"I appreciate the offer, but until you give me a reason to assume they aren't rejects from a strip joint, I'll rely on Schwarz. Crawford can contact you if he thinks there may be a need for screeching harpies."

The pretty one had to be restrained with a touch. It was clear she wanted to harm Mr. Takatori, but instead, Masafumi merely bowed slightly and left, harem in tow.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I have an urgent matter to attend to."

"Of course, Crawford."

Crawford left. _Have everyone meet me in the elevator. Now._

* * *

><p>Schuldig was irritated. He knew there were four people with Masafumi, but two of them were so strange he didn't know how to interpret them.<p>

One was disjointed. It was as if she were somehow brain-damaged. Despite that, however, she managed to have coherent thoughts. The processing was just strange. The other one, however, was more like millions of micro-thoughts. It wasn't a human mind, at all. It was just a buzzing that couldn't be processed.

Crawford merely nodded as he explained the situation. "Which one do you want to play with?"

"The vain one. She'll be a delight to torment. She looks for the scar every morning."

"Excellent. Nagi, I want you to leave the girl to Farfarello." That wasn't going to happen. Schuldig could already feel the infatuation building in the boy. Crawford must have foreseen something complicated happening.

Nagi merely scowled and shook his head. Not good.

"She's not one of us, Nagi." Crawford was trying to be gentle, but it was too late. "Farfarello, shades is yours."

He could feel the women's minds as the elevator reached the carport. They were just in time.

Crawford addressed them as the door opened. "Masafumi! I believe we have some business to discuss, without your father's presence."

Masafumi turned. "So, Crawford, you see the value of Schreient, where my father does not?"

"I do. When dealing with Weiss, we must be certain to have all the resources possible. However, I think it's important that we know what you're offering. After all, it's clear that Reiji was able to upset one of your team with ease. It doesn't bode well for a fight, if one member of your team is easily thrown off her game."

_That arrogant bastard! I'll have his head before I'm done. It's misogynistic bastards like that who nearly ruined my life!_ Schuldig couldn't help smirking at "Schön"'s internal outburst. Her ire turned on him. "What's so damned funny?"

"Oh, nothing. I just think it's sad that you didn't quite cover that scar on your cheek. Not enough foundation?" He was rewarded by her jaw dropping in shock, and her face going pale.

"Schön! Enough!" Masafumi turned back to Crawford. "These women are no mere humans. They are the peak of artificial evolution."

Schuldig smirked as Crawford waved Farfarello forward. "Really? Do you understand how much this man has been through to get all these scars?"

"Neu's been through worse, I assure you." The woman in shades stepped forward with no expression on her face. The buzzing of words was louder.

Farfarello grinned, drew a blade, and licked it while staring at the attractive woman. No reaction from the woman at all. It had been a long time since Schuldig had to try to read a person's body language, and even that was a blank. He gave up and relished the emotional shudders from... Karen.

Farfarello suddenly stabbed buzzy. She accepted the blade into her lung, then grabbed his arm and snapped it. She then removed the blade from her body and threw it on the ground. There was no blood.

Masafumi grinned. "You can't kill the dead, Scar."

Farfarello grinned as well, and both stepped back.

At that point, the girl squealed in delight. "Tot likes the dancing rocks!" Everyone turned and saw her pointing at a few pebbles that Nagi was "juggling" for her. He smiled shyly, while the girl clapped in delight.

"Perhaps we should discuss this at another time, Masafumi. It seems our youngest members don't have their minds on business."

"Indeed. You may also talk with Hell, if you'd prefer."

"An excellent idea."

* * *

><p>Nagi was pleased. He had found someone who appreciated his abilities, instead of being terrified by them. And she was pretty, too.<p>

* * *

><p>Farfarello slept well that night, dreaming of ways to torture a woman who felt no pain. He could look into her eyes as he slowly dismembered her, and she would never pass out.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Karen was fuming. The stupid jock had scratched her cheek! "Tot can get you a band-aid, Schön," the child offered. That just infuriated her further. She stormed past, needing to see a mirror.

In the bathroom, she peered at her face in the mirror. At first glance, there appeared to be no scar. Looking closer, however, she could see where several pores in her cheek had been realigned. The whelp had left a mark she could see. That was unforgivable.

The next hour found Karen memorizing the new arrangement of her features. She vowed to make him pay for every micrometer each pore had moved. The brat would suffer greatly.

* * *

><p>The hive pondered the realization that it would have to combat Youji, once again. The host had once "loved" him. What did it mean? Would the host be happy if it knew what would happen? No matter. The hive would defend "father." The hive stood guard, alert.<p>

* * *

><p>"Why is Schön so upset? That was fun! Tot hopes we can play with Weiss again! Tot wants to show the boys how much better Schreient is than Weiss!" Tot waited for a response from Neu, but got none. Hell had already left, and she soon forgot the lack of response.<p>

"When do you think we can fight them again? Tot wants to finish beating the boys up! Do you think Father wants us to kill them? Tot never killed anybody before."

No response again. No matter. Tot entertained herself by shadow-dueling using her parasol against imaginary boys.

* * *

><p>Chizuru watched Masafumi working on the formula. The misdirection they had used against Reiji was a complete success. The toys they had created, and eliminated, would leave Reiji satisfied that the genetic technology was still woefully underdeveloped.<p>

Masafumi, however, was clearly not satisfied. He still planned to be the ultimate creation. She feared it wasn't stable enough. If it worked, though, if it worked...

* * *

><p>Karen heard the sounds of the attack, and moved quickly. The security cameras allowed her to face the whelp easily. With a grin, she dropped a tendril from her wrist and flicked it at him. She was satisfied to see him dodge, this time. "This will be fun. You've been practicing."<p>

"As have you. This time, I'll finish you."

"Silly boy, I'm going to make you suffer for my scar!"

He looked at her, confused, unable to see the mark she spoke of.

* * *

><p>The hive intercepted the one its host loved. There was a fascination with Youji that needed to be solved. What was the purpose of love?<p>

"So, what's underneath that mask?"

The hive had been issued armor. It was not appropriate to remove any piece for an opponent. The hive resisted.

There was a question. How would he react? How would he react when he saw the host's face? It would generate weakness. The hive was sure. The hive accepted a weaker position, and let Youji glimpse the face of the host.

* * *

><p>"Tot gets to play with you again! Yay!" She swirled her parasol at the young intruder. Tot decided this boy wasn't very good at his job. He didn't seem to know how to fight. Her reflexes enabled her to dodge every strike with ease.<p>

"Aren't you trying? Tot wants a good fight!" An explosion from Father's direction distracted her.

"Father!"

* * *

><p>Chizuru stared in horror as Masafumi swallowed the unfinished elixir. It wasn't complete. She had run the calculations, and knew it was unstable. It was better than previous tests, for he retained his mind, but he was now insane.<p>

She listened, as the others sought to defend their father, and knew her lover was done. She could only hope he would take out Weiss before they had to put him down. Instead, she was forced to grieve as she watched the red-head take his life.

She dragged her sisters from the wreckage, and allowed Reiji's pets to destroy the research. Her private copies were intact. The loss of her lover would make Schreient stronger.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was difficult to preserve Masafumi's body, while she worked on the means to revive him, but it was worth it. Chizuru was able to do that, but he needed to wed the plasmid technology from Neu with with the regenerative abilities they had already developed. It wasn't enough to animate his body, she needed to revive the man, as well.

Fortunately, preserving organic samples had been Masafumi's specialty. His body was preserved by his own technology. It was also clear that Schreient had been too weak. They needed to be stronger, if they were going to defeat Weiss. With their research intact, Chizuru began the difficult task of reviving their patriarch, while she strengthened the team. Weiss would suffer.

* * *

><p>Karen smiled as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her face had been restored to its former glory. Hell's new formula had perfected the regenerative properties in her body. Even better, Masafumi's body had been restored to a human appearance!<p>

Testing was an interesting experience. Learning to control her abilities was challenging. Her skin looked flawless, but now had the toughness of the starfish. Even with her own great strength, she could barely pierce her own skin. Better yet, she could extrude spines when she pummeled her opponents.

The next phase was to extrude a whip, so Bagnuck Boy couldn't just chop it up to disarm her. Hell had promised her spinnerets. She was looking forward to them.

* * *

><p>The hive looked into Youji's eyes, lovingly. It was so easy to manipulate him, after doing a detailed analysis of Asuka's memories. He was so eager to have his love back that he couldn't comprehend what he was really dealing with.<p>

The hive was disappointed, however. It was simply not possible to subsume itself and let the host control its body. The body was dead. It had no advice to offer Hell on the effect of placing a hive into the master.

* * *

><p>Nanami skipped along the trail, singing "Tot and Nagi, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love! Then comes marriage! Then comes the honeymoon! Then comes vengeance on Weiss! Yippee!"<p>

Suddenly she saw a butterfly, and sat watching it for the next hour.

* * *

><p>Chizuru watched the "strangled" Neu slowly stand up after Weiss was driven off. The woman's neck smoothed out as she watched. "That was disappointing. I want you to lay low and help me test your interaction with living hosts. It wouldn't do well for Weiss to know you live."<p>

Neu merely nodded, her vocal time complete, now that she wasn't taunting the Balinese.

Chizuru sighed. They had been so close to eliminating the Weiss, and then the Balinese had acted out of character. Hopefully, they would take the warning while she worked on reviving her lover. It seemed like they were so close.

* * *

><p>Karen was giddy. The spinnerets worked perfectly, letting her extrude a whip at a thought. Now, to work on making it sticky, so Bagnuck Boy wouldn't be able to shake loose from it. She hoped Hell's toxins on the bars would finish of Masafumi's annoying brother, too. It would make the night perfect!<p>

* * *

><p>The hive contemplated the problem. Coexistence with a host seemed impossible. The immune system had to be assaulted, immediately. Plasmids would provide the immunity in the future. Something went wrong, though. Every time, the host died, and a hive was required to take over.<p>

It was not Asuka, and it could not replace the master. It would have to hope Hell could eliminate the toxins generated by the plasmid hive, or find a way for a body to survive them.

* * *

><p>Nanami was completely subsumed in her first kiss with Nagi. There was no thought, only the kiss.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nanami was the first to stand from the rubble. She had no vital organs, so Farfarello's blade had done no serious damage. Unfortunately, it had temporarily severed a neural connection, sending her into shock. She looked around, the connection restored. Their new home was leveled. Looking around, her father was a bloody pulp.

She lifted her love, Nagi, from the epicenter and carried him to the edge of the clearing. He was breathing steadily, so she was sure he would revive, shortly. Her sisters needed her.

* * *

><p>The hive dug to the surface. Being buried in the labs had been frustrating. It had been necessary to break most of the bones in the host to worm out of the rubble. Repairing those breaks was tiresome, but necessary. It rose to its feet as Tot returned. This was not good. They would find the others.<p>

* * *

><p>Karen awoke in darkness, with incredible pressure on her body. She heaved against it, and felt rubble shift. She heaved again. Slowly, she shifted to a position with better leverage, and heaved the slab off her. She was gratified to see Tot and Neu panting from the effort of helping her.<p>

* * *

><p>The funeral for Masafumi and Chizuru was a short, somber affair. They shared an unmarked grave a short distance into the woods. Schreient had lost its leader and inspiration in one night of tragedy. They were agreed that Schwarz would pay... all but Nagi, that is.<p>

Schreient was now led by Schön.


End file.
